The media department at Liverpool have matured since the club’s manager wore a T-shirt supporting a player who had racially abused an opponent and their communications director was accused of warning a fan there would be 'dog s**t coming through your letterbox'. A journalist described them as 'Rolls Royce PR' at the weekend and another lauded their 'open, helpful, positive' strategy.

In this correspondent’s handful of dealings with the Anfield press office they were open, helpful and positive. From a professional perspective, you would rather that were the case and visiting Liverpool's ground is one of the great privileges in English football. The staff are warm, friendly and approachable, even with kick-off approaching.

The newspaper and website correspondents were granted enviable access prior to Liverpool's Champions League final and some are on first-name terms with certain players. The payoff from such a slick PR strategy is it induces upbeat coverage. So the the scapegoat in Kiev was Sergio Ramos rather than Loris Karius.

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Karius’ calamitous handling and Gareth Bale's gymnastic genius were just as, if not more, decisive than Mohamed Salah’s injury. Karius' bravery to approach crestfallen Liverpool supporters at full-time was commendable, as was his decision to front up in a scheduled interview with a national journalist days after his mistake gifted Bournemouth victory last season. Karius is articulate, measured and impressive off the pitch, if not always on it. The threats Karius has received are vile and a test of Twitter's policing and anyone who has wished ill on him must be suspended.

That human side counted for a lot on Saturday evening as punters rushed to express sympathy. A reporter is likelier to side with a player if they are engaging when most squads are laden with the robotic and the aloof. Some players dismiss journalists in a mixed zone like a smoker stubbing out their fag. Or, in Ramos' case, wink at the British media while clutching the European Cup's jug ears.

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The demonising of Ramos was so extreme some suggested his physical collision with Salah merited a red card. It did not even register as a foul and the former professionals fronting BT Sport's coverage dismissed any notion of intent, despite the broadcasters’ effort to link the 'foul' with Ramos shooting the breeze with the linesman as Salah disappeared down the tunnel.

Others are convinced he intentionally dislocated Salah's shoulder. Some attributed Karius' assist for Karim Benzema to Ramos poleaxing him at a corner two minutes earlier. The candid Karius refused to make dubious excuses.

Liverpool had a convenient sub-plot and Jurgen Klopp was enjoying a sing-song with fans at 6am. The post-mortem was more like a wedding than a wake despite this being Liverpool's sixth successive season without silverware.

Some grieved over Karius, who suffered moments which could 'ruin his life' and an op-ed urged for Liverpool to 'protect' him and crass and incongruous parallels were drawn. It is testament to Karius' character he stopped in the mixed zone on Saturday night and posted a lengthy and penitent message on his social media channels.

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Consider the difference in coverage between Karius' catastrophe and Phil Jones' ditzy defending in the previous week’s FA Cup final. 'Phil Jones faces' is the second-highest related search term to accompany his name on Google ('Phil Jones injury' is first) and those animated expressions have launched a thousand memes. He was ridiculed for upending Eden Hazard at Wembley, with one snapshot capturing a gurning pose as Jones took the man rather than the ball. That picture went viral.

And that is deemed fine, because he is Phil Jones, plays for Man United and is managed by Jose Mourinho. United supporters voted to sell Jones in the 'keep or sell' poll. United's campaign was also devoid of silverware and Mourinho was not expecting much top-spin.

"I'm quite curious too," Mourinho said at his Wembley interrogation. "Especially because now I'm on holidays and have more time for that, I'm quite curious for today, tomorrow, next couple of days to read, to watch, to listen your opinions." Klopp's Liverpool finished two places below United in the Premier League.

Sympathy for the Devils?

Karius, his apologists informed us, is a 'kid'. A kid who turns 25 next month and is only 16 months younger than Jones. Nobody is pretending Jones deserves veneration, and, in the goalkeeping union, David de Gea nor Claudio Bravo generated swathes of sympathy during their lowest ebbs.

Schadenfreude is one of the most satisfying thrills in football and Karius' tears were not about to stop some United supporters from clinking glasses and re-watching him gift Real their first and third. Nor should City fans or Scousers be discouraged from lampooning Jones or mocking Mourinho providing it doesn't go too far.